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Jews of Turkey have been applying for citizenship restitution from Spain and Portugal through processes formalized in 2015. Using 29 interviews, I analyze applicant motivations and find that cultural connections play a minor role in applicant decisions. The citizenship application process did not lead to self-questioning of identity for these applicants, unlike Sephardic Jews in other contexts. The more important motivators were Jewish fears about the future of Turkey, the practical benefits of easy travel on a European Union passport, and the desire for global mobility, allowing individuals to chase prosperity wherever it may go. While Jewish fears are mostly in the background, the other two motivations were more pressing. I place these motivations in the context of changing conceptions of citizenship in Europe and the global inequality of citizenship, crystallized in a hierarchy of passports. I find that after acquiring Iberian citizenship, Jews from Turkey relate to their new citizenship solely in practical ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how the convergence of communist and nationalist factions in Portugal supported the concept of recovering the nation’s lost empire during the 1930s. Particular attention is paid to the Frente Popular (Popular Front) program, a document written in 1936 that was the result of a convergence of Portuguese communists, socialists, and republicans. The Frente Popular criticized colonial imperialism's policy, but found colonialism morally acceptable as an aid to help "other less civilized peoples" reach the final stage of their complete autonomy. The development of what was considered a more progressive model of imperialism by the Partido Comunista Português by late 1930s in reaction to the rise of Nazi Germany is analyzed.